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Bid to Upend Disney’s Deal for Maker Studios Falls Short

LOS ANGELES — An oddball maneuver by Relativity Media to break up the pending nuptials of the YouTube-focused Maker Studios and the Walt Disney Company ended on Monday almost as fast as it started.

Relativity, a privately held midsize company with interests in film, music, television and sports, made it known late Sunday night that it had submitted an offer of roughly $1 billion for Maker, mostly in stock. Disney, the world’s largest entertainment conglomerate, had announced a deal last month to acquire Maker, a supplier of online video, for up to $950 million, mostly in cash.

Disney executives did little more than roll their eyes on Monday, noting that the deal was sealed, and Maker ultimately released a statement saying as much. “The agreement has been approved by Maker Studios’ board of directors and the majority of its shareholders and is expected to close in the next few weeks.”

So Relativity gets nothing – except for a publicity pop and new speculation in Hollywood that it may again be considering an initial public offering.

“We made a compelling offer and believe Maker Studios, its employees and its roster of talent would have greatly benefited from Relativity’s platform,” Relativity said in a statement in response to the Maker statement.

Also on Monday, a California judge rejected a legal effort by Danny Zappin, a Maker founder, and three other individuals to block the sale of Maker to Disney.